The Modern Relationship Between Music and Political Preferences

Teresa Martin, Ohio Wesleyan University

Abstract

Music and politics have been interconnected for centuries, and it is difficult to explain a political event without mentioning the contemporary music creation and vice versa; examples include anti-war music during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, a shift to country music with patriotic undertones after 9/11, and so on. Preliminary research suggests that there could be a connection between political ideologies and liking genres of music, but it is relatively outdated (Fox and Williams 1974). There is research surrounding how political polarization contributes to opposing attitudes and preferences (Sears and Valentino 1997, Prinz 2021), and how music has different origins and patterns (Moore 2001), but there is no concrete knowledge of a direct relationship between political polarization and musical genres that have stark sonic differences. This research intends to modernize the limited findings and discover trends between political parties, orientations, and genres of music. It is important to establish this relationship in order to DO NOT DISTRIBUTE better understand the emotionality behind politics and the effects they have on, in this case, average listeners and voters.

[Full text available May 2033.]